


Spin the Bottle

by anonfanfic



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 07:05:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17720453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonfanfic/pseuds/anonfanfic
Summary: A simple game at a birthday party. When life was suppose to be less complicated. Karolina Dean finds herself struggling to get answers for questions she can’t even ask herself.





	Spin the Bottle

Karolina looked at herself in the mirror for what felt like the the hundredth time. She glanced down at the party invitation Alex had handed out after school on Friday. She ran her perfectly manicured fingers against the shiny, black embossed letters.

**_Come Join The Dark Side_ **

**_Alex Wilder’s 12th Birthday_ **

**_Pizza, Drinks, and Games_ **

**_At The Wilder’s Guesthouse_ **

 

They had spent countless nights in the Wilder’s guesthouse, but this time was different. Karolina had been wrestling with intense feelings for years. There were months when she could fight it better. Other times it was like invisible floodgates were open and all she could think about was Nico.

Her most recent alone time with Nico had really brought up those feelings again.

________________________________

Amy had gone off to look for some new headphones, telling Nico and Karolina to meet her in the food court in an hour.

The two girls wandered around until Nico’s eyes lit up when they passed a display. 

“Let’s go in here!”

Nico grabbed Karolina’s hand and led her into the store. They stopped in front of a yellow short sleeved shirt with a zipper that went from the top to halfway down the back. Nico picked it up off the rack and checked the size.

“Yep, you need to try this on. It’ll look amazing on you.”

Nico tossed the shirt toward Karolina who juggled it, the hanger nearly poking her eye out, before clutching it to her chest.

They both laughed and Nico took Karolina’s hand again, walking over to the nearly deserted dressing rooms.

“Here,” Nico directed, taking the shirt from Karolina and hanging it in one of the free rooms at the far end of the store. “You better come out and show me how amazing you look. You can thank me later for that.”

Nico let go of Karolina’s hand and gave her arm a playful push into the small room.

“We don’t have a lot of time, so hurry up.” Nico lips curled up in a wicked smile and she reached up to pull the curtain closed.

Karolina felt the small rush of air from the curtain snapping shut, cutting her off from Nico and the rest of the store. Somehow she felt more exposed in the small, barely lit changing room. The feelings she had felt just below the surface of her skin were starting to bubble to the surface again.

The places on her body where Nico’s hand had been felt like they were burning hot. Karolina clutched at the small, silver chain around her neck and felt the tiny hairs on her arms stand on end. Her breath was coming in short bursts and her heart was starting to race along with her thoughts.

It wasn’t the first times these type of thoughts had started to creep into her mind. Karolina couldn’t be sure when her heart had started to beat a little harder when Nico walked into a room.

It could have been in kindergarten when Nico saw Karolina accidently spill grape juice down the front of her new white dress, so Nico did the same thing to her pink polo shirt so Karolina wouldn’t get teased. They played together the rest of the day in their stained clothes until their mothers came to get them.

Maybe it was the time Nico stopped a group of girls from picking on Karolina for being brainwashed by her mother. She had stood in front of all those girls in the locker room and told them she’d punch them all if they didn’t knock it off. Nico was small, but the look on her face as she stared into the faces of the other girls made Karolina’s blood run cold.

Karolina felt her cheeks flush as the memories started to come more quickly now.

 

**********

The air was warm and sticky, it was the middle of a scorching summer in Los Angeles and temperatures soared. Karolina squirmed under the thin sheet she and Nico were laying under on the floor of Karolina’s room. They had spent the day swimming, laughing, and making their tongues colorful with blue ice pops. When Nico asked to stay the night Karolina couldn’t ask her mom fast enough.

Karolina looked down between them and saw Nico’s hand laying above the sheet. She felt the urge to reach down and place hers on top of it. Karolina moved her hand slowly downward, the sweat that had been drawn out by the heat of the day running cold against her skin. Her hand hovered over Nico’s, inches from its destination. The sound of her own heartbeat hammered in her ears as she kept her eyes on Nico’s hand.

A floorboard creaked in the hallway and Karolina pulled her hand away and shoved it under the covers. She squeezed her eyes shut in case it was her parents coming to check on them.

Karolina waited for the small sliver of light from the hall that meant her door had been opened, but it never came. Her heart played out a deep, powerful _thud, thud, thud_ against her chest. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before opening her eyes again. The room was dark, except for the moonlight streaming in from her open window. Karolina shook her head and blamed the heat for her silly impulse. She rolled over, her back to Nico and fell into a restless sleep.

 

**********

“Karolina?”

Karolina jumped, the shirt Nico picked out halfway on her body.

“Everything okay in there?”

She had gotten completely lost in her daydream, forgetting where she was and who she was with.

“Yea-yeah I’m fine, just having a little...trouble with the zipper,” Karolina lied, biting her lower lip and pulling the shirt on the rest of the way. “I got it now.”

Karolina looked at herself in the full length mirror in the small room. Nico was right, the shirt fit her perfectly. She ran her hands over the silky material and smiled, wondering if Nico would let everyone at the party know she had been the one to pick out the perfect shirt for Karolina. 

Karolina reached up and pulled back the curtain. Nico was looking down at her phone, but looked up immediately with a smile when Karolina emerged in the shirt. Karolina gave her a bashful twirl and pretended to model the shirt in different over-the-top poses.

Nico laughed and held up her phone, making a clicking noise with her mouth as she egged on Karolina.

“Beautiful, darling. You look fantastic. Give me something fierce now.” Nico called out in some sort of accent that Karolina couldn’t quite place. She laughed at her friend, but played along moving into a few more stances before stopping with a light blush on her cheeks.

“You like it?” She asked, with a breathy laugh.

“It’s perfect! You can wear it to Wilder’s party!”

Karolina smiled back at Nico and looked down at herself.

“You think so?”

“Totally, the guys will lose their minds” Nico nodded and made a spinning motion with her index finger. “Now turn around. I’ll help you with that zipper.”

Karolina could feel the heat rising up her neck and threatening to fill her cheeks with color again. She turned around to hide the light pink patches on her face. Nico’s hands touching the top of her back made her heart skip a beat. Her skin once again felt like it was being brushed with flames every place Nico’s fingers fell. She felt the zipper start to loosen and the cool air hit her newly uncovered skin. Karolina’s breath caught in her throat when she felt Nico’s fingers linger against the small of her back. But before her mind could form a thought, they were gone.

“Go change, we’ve gotta meet Amy soon.”

She wanted to turn around and look Nico in the eyes to see if she was feeling something too. She stopped herself from turning to look at her friend, scared that she wouldn’t see the same desire mirrored back. If that happened, Karolina knew she would shatter to pieces.

“I’ll be right out.”

Karolina almost jumped into the dressing room, pulling the curtain so hard it almost ripped it from its rings. She quickly took the shirt off and put her t-shirt back on. She needed to get out of here, away from Nico. Karolina touched the silver bracelet on her wrist and closed her eyes. Karolina prayed these feelings would pass, like she had everytime they threatened to overwhelm her. She took a steadying breath through her nose and opened her eyes.

“You ready?”

Karolina felt like her stomach was filled with bird-sized butterflies. She was worried if she opened her mouth to respond they would all fly out. She pulled back the curtain again, giving Nico a tight smile and nod. Her chest burning until she finally let out the breath she had been holding.

“Let’s go buy this shirt for you. I think I can talk Amy into getting us some fries.”

Nico linked their arms together and lead Karolina to the long line of registers at the front of the store. Karolina felt herself calming down as they waited in the short line, talking about school, assignments, and the math test that had them both on edge. They paid and went to the food court to find Amy.

“Are you excited for Alex’s party?” Karolina asked, walking close to Nico through the crowded halls of the mall.

“I guess so, I mean it’ll be like a Pride meeting, right? Wilder doesn’t really have many friends outside of us.” Nico shrugged, her eyes exploring the window displays they passed. “What about you?”

Karolina had heard from Chase that he was going to bring something that would ‘really make the party interesting’. She hadn’t been sure what he meant and didn’t want to ask. Chase had given her a wink and smirk before rejoining his lacrosse friends. Karolina wasn’t sure if she wanted to bring it up, in case Amy decided to not show up to the party - more importantly if Amy decided not to bring Nico to the party.

“Yeah, I guess.” Karolina licked her lips and pulled her lower lip into her mouth. She chewed on it, rolling the idea of at least telling Nico. Before she could make up her mind they saw Amy standing in front of one of the dozens of food stalls in the food court. The aroma of pizza, burgers, pretzels, and sweets wrestled for Karolina’s attention. Amy tapped her foot and looked down at the delicate gold watch on her wrist as they weaved through the crowd toward her.

“You’re late,” Amy deadpanned.

“By like two minutes. Chill Amy.” Nico stopped in front of her older sister and crossed her arms over her chest. “We found the perfect shirt for Karolina to wear to the party.”

Amy smiled slyly and reached over to nudge Karolina’s shoulder.

“You trying to get someone’s attention?”

Karolina immediately felt her face burn red hot under the sister’s stare. Karolina palm’s got clammy and her throat closed up. She dropped her head and immediately started to rub the silver bracelet on her wrist. She cleared her throat, feeling how dry and painful it had become in a matter of seconds.

“No, no. Just going to hang out with everyone.”

Nico spoke up quickly, clearly picking up on how uncomfortable Karolina felt about the topic.

“Amy, remember when you borrowed my black tights without asking? Karolina and I really want some fries.”

Karolina looked up and saw Amy’s mouth pull back tightly, her brow furrowed as she stared at her younger sister. She couldn’t help but grin when she looked at Nico and saw a smug smile plastered on her face. It wasn’t often that the younger Minoru cornered her older sibling, and when she did Nico let Amy know it. Karolina’s eyes went back and forth between the sisters as they continued their stare down.

Amy pursed her lips, finally breaking the eye contact. She pulled out a crumpled up five dollar bill and handed it to Nico grudgingly.

“Fine, be back at the car in ten minutes or you guys can take the bus home.”

Nico took the money from Amy and turned to Karolina, ignoring the annoyed glare her older sister shot at her. Amy turned on her heels and walked away from the two and toward the exit, disappearing in the growing crowds of people around them.

“Told you I could do it.”

Nico smiled and flashed the bill triumphantly at Karolina and she felt her heart skip a beat. There was nothing about Nico Minoru that couldn’t make Karolina happy. It was like Nico found new ways to enchant her every moment they were together. It was getting more difficult for Karolina to deny that she was falling in love with her friend.

**________________________________**

 

“Karolina, you ready?” Leslie walked into Karolina’s room and smiled. “Your father is going to drive you. I have to go to the church.”

Karolina felt her heart drop a little when her mom mentioned the church. She had really hoped Leslie would be the one driving her to the party. Karolina loved her dad, but it always seemed like her mom put the church before their family. It didn’t matter how Karolina felt however, everytime she brought up her feelings Leslie was quick to shoot them down. This church had given her family so much, that Karolina had started to feel guilty over her resentment toward it.

“Yeah, okay.” Karolina turned away and started rummaging around on her dresser to avoid eye contact with her mom. It really shouldn’t hurt her as much as it did, but every time felt like a fresh wound cutting her deep.

“Karolina,” Leslie walked over and put a had on Karolina’s shoulder. “You know how important this church has been to our family. I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t completely necessary.”

“I get it, mom.” Karolina looked up at her mother’s reflection and gave her a tight smile. “I always have,” She added a little more quietly, stepping away from her mom’s touch and walking toward the door. “I’ve got to go or I’ll be late.”

Karolina walked out of her room, not looking back to see if her words or abrupt exit had hurt Leslie. Her mother had always been more occupied with the church her entire life. It was like she was just an afterthought. The guilt that usually gnawed at her stomach for being short with her mother felt a little less this time as she walked out to the living room.

“Ready to go?” Frank asked, standing in front of the large front door with keys in his hand.

Karolina walked passed her dad and out the door without responding. She didn’t want to talk anymore, she just wanted to get out of the house. Karolina was sick of having to pretend she was fine when really she felt like her entire world was falling apart. She was the face of the youth movement in the church. Yet, she had never felt further away from the light she’d known her whole life. There had been countless times she had wanted to confide in her parents about the things she was feeling, it just never felt like the right time. Karolina also didn’t want them to send her away to the camps she had always heard about. The people who went to the desert never came back the same, if they came back at all.

Frank followed her out and they both got in the car, neither saying a word as they pulled out of the driveway and started down the road toward Alex’s house. Karolina had always been close with her father. It was mostly because at times they both felt like the church came first for Leslie and that had bonded them. Frank was a little more understanding and patient with Leslie, though Karolina had heard their raised voices at night when they thought she was asleep. She knew her dad had some of the same concerns Karolina did, whether he told his daughter or not.

“Your mom and I are very proud of you, Karolina. We know how hard you’ve been working at school and with the new youth movement at the church. We understand it isn’t always easy to make the sacrifices you’ve had to make.”

“Neither of you understand me at all. And neither of you want to take the time to try,” Karolina breathed angrily, crossing her arms over her chest as they continued toward the party.

They rode the rest of the way in tense silence. Karolina could see her dad’s hands grip the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles started to turn white. They would relax and then once again turn white as he tightened his hold.

They pulled up to The Wilder’s house and Karolina barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop before unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her door.

“Karolina, I…” Frank started to speak, but Karolina hopped out of the car and looked back at her dad.

“Don’t bother.” She slammed the door, her dad staring at her through the window with his mouth open. She couldn’t tell if he had been trying to say something or was completely shocked by her tone. Either way she felt a slight tinge of satisfaction.

She was tired of being the one who always had to be polite and accept the things her parents did for the church. It was time she put herself first, because it didn’t seem like her parents ever would.

Karolina walked up to the door and heard the car start to pull down the driveway. She stopped herself from looking back at the car’s headlights flashed past her. Karolina had always been the one to give in and allow them to walk out on her in the name of the church. She tightened her jaw and continued her determined march to The Wilder’s front door.

Karolina lifted her hand to knock, but before she could move the door flew open and Mrs. Wilder stood beaming in front of her wearing one of her standard perfectly fitted dark dresses. 

“Karolina! We’re glad you could make it.” 

Mrs. Wilder looked over her shoulder out into the growing dark of the day and back at Karolina still standing with her arm half raised to knock.

“Your mom didn’t want to stop in?” 

Karolina dropped her hand and shook her head. “She had to go to the…”

“Church.” She and Mrs. Wilder said together. Karolina saw a soft look wash over Mrs. Wilder’s face, she recognized it immediately as pity. There was a quiet moment between them before Karolina cleared her throat. 

“Are the other kids in the guesthouse?” She asked, wanting more than anything to not be standing in the doorway feeling like she was some sort of wounded animal who needed protection.

Mrs. Wilder blinked a few times and put on her best bright smile, deciding not to push the topic of Karolina’s parents.

“Yes,” Mrs Wilder moved aside to allow Karolina entrance to the main house. “Looks like you’re the last one. You know where to go.” Mrs. Wilder held out her arm and Karolina gave a grateful nod before walking toward the back of the house. She knew this path so well she was sure she could navigate her way to the Wilder’s guesthouse with her eyes closed. Her family had been coming here since before she could walk for Pride meetings. The only place she knew better was her own house...and maybe the church.

Karolina walked out of the back door and onto the lush green lawn. She saw the shadows of people behind the white curtains in the guest house. She could hear thumping music and laughter as she got closer, looked like the party had already started.

Karolina opened the door and was greeted with enthusiastic shouts from her friends.

“Hey!” Nico smiled, looking up from her game of air hockey with Alex. 

“Karolina!” Chase called, jogging over to her and pulling her into an awkward one-armed hug.

“Hi, Chase.” Karolina put her arm around his waist and gave it a small squeeze before pulling away from the embrace.

“Now that you’re here the real party can begin!” Chase announced, walking over to a chair near the door that had his old, black backpack sitting on it.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Chase reach into his backpack and pull out a bottle of clear liquid. 

“No, no way Chase. If my parents…” Alex started to protest.

“Your parents aren’t going to know shit Wilder. It’s just a little vodka. It’ll loosen us up and make this a lot more entertaining.” Chase gestured to the black, white, and red streamers hung around the room.

Chase opened the top of the bottle and took a long drink. When he pulled the bottle from his mouth he coughed and Karolina could see his eyes watering from the alcohol. 

“Alright, who’s next?” Chase offered up the bottle to the group, lifting his eyebrows expectantly.

Molly lifted her hand from her spot next to Amy on the couch. The two of them had clearly been wrapped up in a video game before Karolina arrived.

“No.” “Nope.” Amy and Gert protested in unison.

“Let’s get back to our game and let them get into all the trouble.” Amy held up Molly’s controller, which the younger girl took reluctantly and turned her attention back to the big screen TV in front of them.

“Can you stop being a bad influence on my little sister for once?” Gert walked up to Chase and snatched the bottle from his hand. She looked down at it and pressed it to her lips, coughing and sputtering as she swallowed her swig of vodka.

“But it’s alright for you to be one?” Chase asked, after Gert could compose herself. 

“Equal rights to be bad influences,” Gert retorted, walking over and putting the bottle into Nico’s hands.

“Keep it going, Nico.” Chase smiled encouragingly at his friend.

Karolina watched with bated breath as Nico put the bottle to her lips and took a drink. Her eyes squeezed shut and a look of pain washed across her face as she swallowed the bitter drink.

“Oh god,” Nico coughed and stretched out her arm to Karolina. The vodka was still mostly full, and Karolina could see the clear liquid splashing against the sides of the bottle as Nico shook it in front of her. “Take it.” She offered, another small cough coming out.

Karolina reached out and took the bottle, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. She looked around at the faces of her friends surrounding her. The last thing she saw before she tipped the bottle up was Nico staring intensely at her. She had no time to try and dissect the look. The vodka hit her tongue and slid down her throat before she had time to second guess her choice. It felt like her throat was on fire, her entire mouth had gone numb as another wave of vodka flowed into her mouth. She pulled the bottle away and swallowed one last time. Karolina was scared to say it out loud, but the second swig didn’t hurt as badly.

Alex was the last of them to go and quite reluctantly he took a quick drink before coughing and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Can we all move on now?” Alex asked, giving the bottle back to Chase and looking imploringly from one face to the next for some sort of back up.

If her friends were feeling anything like Karolina, between the slight buzz of the alcohol and the rush of doing something illegal behind their parents back - Karolina hadn’t felt this free in a long time. 

Chase grabbed the neck of the bottle and took another drag. 

“Let’s play a game.” He twisted the lid back onto the bottle, a little color appearing on his cheeks. He walked over and sat on the ground in the middle of the room and put the bottle in front of him. He looked at all of them and gave it a spin. His smile grew as realization hit all of them at different times. Karolina was one of the last ones to understand. Her eyes grew wide as she locked eyes with Chase wearing a wicked smirk.

“No, Chase, no way.” Gert sternly said, crossing her arms over her chest in protest. “Molly’s right there. It’s weird.”

“Huh?” Molly barely looked away from the TV when Gert said her name, too involved in the insanely violent game she and Amy were in the middle of playing to care about anything else.

“She’s occupied, but we’ll make some alterations to the game to ensure...privacy.” Chase lifted an eyebrow at the group still standing in front of him.

Gert sighed, rolled her eyes and walked over to sit next to him. “I’m not agreeing to anything until I hear all the terms.”

Alex shrugged and let out a slow breath, walking over to sit on the other side of Gert. It was clear he had come to the conclusion he was no longer in control of his own party.

Nico and Karolina were the only two left standing. They looked at each other, the uncertainty Karolina was feeling mirrored in Nico’s dark eyes.

Nico made a movement with her head toward the group and then shrugged, wordlessly telling Karolina she’d do it if Karolina did too.

Karolina took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes for a second. She opened her eyes and looked back at Nico, nodding as she slowly released the breath. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting at an Alex Wilder party, but the idea that she had the chance to possibly kiss Nico made the choice easier.

They all sat down in a circle on the thin gray rug that covered most of the floor in the guest house. Chase handed the bottle to Gert.

“Everyone take one more drink while I explain the rules.” 

No one protested this, the nerves starting to show in each of the friends.

Gert took a long drink, sputtering a little vodka on the carpet when she pulled the bottle away.

“Careful, my parents will smell it,” Alex cautioned, pulling some party napkins from the coffee table behind him. Karolina watched as he gingerly patted the carpet in front of Gert with napkins covered in spaceships.

He grabbed the bottle and took such a quick drink Karolina wasn’t sure any of the liquid had actually touched his lips.

Alex gave a quiet cough and handed the bottle off to Karolina. She took it and stared at the clear liquor inside

‘It could just be water. Harmless water.’ Karolina thought to herself as she lifted the bottle and let the alcohol flow into her mouth. She took two mouthfuls before coughing and setting the bottle in front of her, fingers still wrapped around the smooth glass. ‘Not water, not harmless.’

Karolina eyes were squeezed shut, waiting for the inferno in her throat and chest to die down. She felt warm fingers cover her own and opened her eyes to see Nico’s hand on top of her own on the bottle.

“My turn.”

Karolina released the bottle, almost too quickly, and let Nico pick it up and take a drink. Karolina was surprised that she didn’t cough or even react as she swallowed her second drink. 

“The rules are simple. We each get a turn to spin the bottle and spend time in that closet.” Chase pointed to the door to their left, just off the living room. “You get five minutes in the closet and you can do whatever you both want to do for that time.” Chase emphasised the word whatever, wiggling his eyebrows as he scanned the faces sitting around him. “Do we all agree to play?”

The group nodded, some more reluctantly than others, and Chase took the bottle and put it down on its side in the middle of the circle.

“Karolina, since you were the last to arrive, you’re the first to seal your fate.”

Karolina was suddenly very aware of her own heartbeat. Her head was buzzing from the vodka. All the eyes in the circle were on her now. She reached down and grabbed the bottle, wondering only for a second what she would do if it landed on Alex, probably just go in the closet and let him talk to her about whatever movie the spaceships in the napkin were from.

“Spin it!” Chase called out.

Karolina twisted the bottle and flicked her wrist. She pulled away and watched with bated breath as the bottle started to spin rapidly around the circle. Karolina tried to swallow through the tightness of her throat. Everything felt like it was moving slowly except the stupid bottle that just kept spinning. It felt like it had been spinning all night, though it had only been a handful of seconds.

It finally started to slow and Karolina watched as it spun past Chase. It moved past Gert. It started to slow as it reached Alex. Karolina watched as it passed in front of her own space and started to creep toward Nico.

What were the odds that this would be her fate?

The bottle stopped in the empty space between Chase and Nico. 

“What does that mean?” Alex asked, pushing his black framed glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

“It means…” Chase started, but Gert popped up onto her knees and spoke louder.

“It means Karolina will tell me a number between one and ten and Nico and Chase have to guess. The one who is the closest will be the winner.”

Karolina thought it was odd to call someone the winner of going in a closet with her, but didn’t want to argue.

Gert walked over to Karolina and put a hand up to her own ear, waiting for Karolina to whisper the number.

Karolina could barely remember her own name she was so nervous, how was she supposed to think of anything other than the closet? She was going to have to go in there no matter what the outcome of Gert’s guessing game. Karolina could only hope Nico would get the number.

“Eight,” Karolina whispered quietly to Gert who nodded in understanding and went back to her spot next to Chase.

“Alright, Nico first.” Gert instructed, clearly relishing being in charge.

Nico chewed her bottom lip for a long second before responding.

“Seven, I guess.” Nico shrugged, seeming unsure. Karolina couldn’t tell if Nico was into the idea of being the winner of spending five minutes in a small, dark space with her. 

“Chase?” Gert asked, not giving any indication after Nico’s answer.

I don’t know. I’ll say eight.”

There was a moment that Karolina thought she was falling backward. Her vision started to tunnel and she got incredibly warm out of nowhere. She had been so close, just a single number stood in her way. 

Karolina started to get up, ready to let Chase know it was him that would be joining her. 

“Nico got it!” Gert declared, standing up and clapping. She looked at Karolina and tilted her head with a smile. “That was your number right Karolina? It was seven?”

Karolina felt herself nod and smile. She knew it was wrong, but when Nico slowly got up from her spot and walked over to stand next to Karolina she knew there was no turning back now.

“I’ll start the time as soon as the door closes.” Chase reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Karolina thought she heard a bit of disappointment in his voice, but couldn’t be bothered to think about anything other than the next five minutes.

Karolina led the way to the door and opened it. There were some empty hangers and a few jackets pushed to the far right side. There were also a few rolls of wrapping paper pushed to the back corner. Nico followed Karolina into the small space and shut the door behind them.

“Time starts now.” They heard Chase call after the door clicked shut.

Nico took a seat on the floor and motioned for Karolina to join her.

“What should we talk about?” She asked, as Karolina sat down noticing as she did that their knees touched in the small space of the closet.

Karolina could feel the anxiety starting to crawl up her spine, trying to focus on Nico’s face in the darkness. She heard herself give a short, breathy laugh, hoping it didn’t reveal how uncomfortable she felt. All Karolina wanted to do was reach out and take Nico’s face in her hands and kiss her. Her right hand twitched at the thought, she could almost feel the pressure of Nico’s lips against her own.

“Karolina? You okay?” Nico reached out and put a hand on Karolina’s knee.

“Huh?” Karolina looked down at Nico’s hand still resting on her knee. “Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking about-” Karolina stopped herself, she couldn’t tell Nico she had been daydreaming about kissing her.

“I was thinking about my mom,” Karolina lied, grateful for the darkness to cover the blush she felt on her cheeks.

“Is everything okay?” Nico moved even closer to Karolina and adjusted her hand so it was now resting on her thigh.

Karolina tried to clear the lump that was now firmly stuck in her throat. She blurted out the first thing she could think of.

“Uh, yeah. It’s just sometimes I feel like she cares more about the church than me. I’m suppose to be the face of the new youth movement and I don’t even know if I believe in the church anymore.” Karolina hadn’t wanted to talk about her mom or the church, but it was the first thing she could think of to cover her real thoughts.

Nico was close enough to Karolina that she could see Nico’s head shake vigorously.

“Fuck that church. Your mom parades you out in front of those sheep and expects you to be this perfect little princess. No one should be forced to be something they aren’t, especially someone who cares as much for others as you.” Nico reached up inside the dark closet and tucked a loose strand of Karolina’s blonde hair behind her ear. “You’re amazing, Karolina.” Nico finished in a whisper.

“Nico…” Karolina felt a renewed and powerful swell of emotion wash over her.

Karolina was moving before her brain had a chance to catch up. She saw herself pushing off the hard ground and leaning in to capture Nico’s lips in a soft kiss. She felt her heart stop, preparing for Nico to pull away from her. Karolina hadn’t meant for this to happen so suddenly. It took a few seconds for her to realize Nico wasn’t pulling away, she was actually pressing her lips even more against Karolina’s.

Karolina reached up to touch Nico’s cheek and slowly parted her lips to deepen the kiss even more. Nico followed her lead, their movements perfectly mirroring each other as they continued the kiss in the darkness. It was everything that Karolina had been dreaming about for years and so much more. Nico tasted sweet and everything about the kiss was soft and beautiful.

Nico pulled away slowly and Karolina felt like all the air had been taken from her lungs with her. She had somehow managed to take a piece of Karolina with her as she sat back where she had been before the kiss.

“Whoa,” Nico breathed.

Karolina could see the shadow of a smile on Nico’s face. She was about to open her mouth to ask what that had meant when Chase’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“Time’s up!”

The door flew open and light flooded the closet. Karolina squinted and looked out to see the faces of all of her friends looking in at her.

Nico got up and walked out into the living room with Karolina following closely behind.

“So, what happened in there?” Chase asked, a big smile plastered on his face but a searching look in his eyes. He looked from Karolina to Nico and back again waiting for an answer.

“We talked, what else?” Nico laughed and shrugged looking over at Karolina and pulling her lower lip into her mouth nervously where no one else could see.

“Yeah, just talking.” Karolina agreed. Neither of the girls really understood what had just happened in the closet, they didn’t need their friends involved.

The group seemed appeased by their responses and ready to continue the game. Nico and Karolina walked over to join the circle, Nico moving to sit next to Karolina. As they settled in Karolina felt Nico’s hand brush against her own, it lingered long enough for Karolina to know that what happened in the closet had meant something to both of them.

They would never discuss the moment again. It would take years for the two girls to come together again. The shared moment in the dark closet always chasing them no matter how far they tried to run from their feelings.

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one. Let me know what you think! These two are just too soft for each other. 
> 
> Find me other places: 
> 
> Tumblr: @anonfanfic  
> Twitter: @nicelynerdypodcast/@sammy_jaybird
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


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